You've got madmen on the world stage like Chavez that factor into the equation because Venezeula is a memeber of OPEC, the instability in Iran, civil strife in Nigeria, OPEC decisions to cut production, etc., the unpredictability of weather, and so forth. The on the supply side - OPEC was producing over 5 million barrels a day....in 2006 and 2007...its only going to produce 2 million each of those years. Then you have the demand side - China is rapidly becoming a major consumer securing long term contracts in Columbia and other oil producing nations in Africa...India and the rest of the world. Companies like Chevron and exoon are only getting around 8-10 cents, as you pointed out...Yahoo is getting 45 cents per dollar...Coca Cola is getting 15 cents. I suppose I don't view the profit motive as being something evil. 41% of the country owns stock in these companies through IRAs, Federal/State pension funds, and private pension funds. Net investments have increased to over $100 billion in line with net income. And for the BUT...the government won't allow drilling in ANWR because of the Donkey Party and a turncoat republicants...they won't allow new onshore drilling....we're still barring certian offshore areas from drilling...we won't remove barriers to expanding refineries/building new ones, etc.